第64章

Following this pattern， and as well through the effect of temperature， we see， even in remote provinces， all aristocratic branches having a flourishing social life. Lacking other employment， the nobles exchange visits， and the chief function of a prominent seignior is to do the honors of his house creditably. This applies as well to ecclesiastics as to laymen. The one hundred and thirty-one bishops and archbishops， the seven hundred abbés-commendatory， are all men of the world； they behave well， are rich， and are not austere， while their episcopal palace or abbey is for them a country-house， which they repair or embellish with a view to the time they pass in it， and to the company they welcome to it.[72] At Clairvaux， Dom Rocourt， very affable with men and still more gallant with the ladies， never drives out except with four horses， and with a mounted groom ahead； his monks do him the honors of a Monseigneur， and he maintains a veritable court. The chartreuse of Val Saint-Pierre is a sumptuous palace in the center of an immense domain， and the father-procurator， Dom Effinger， passes his days in entertaining his guests.[73] At the convent of Origny， near Saint-Quentin，[74] "the abbess has her domestics and her carriage and horses， and receives men on visits， who dine in her apartments." The princess Christine， abbess of Remiremont， with her lady canonesses， are almost always traveling； and yet "they enjoy themselves in the abbey，" entertaining there a good many people "in the private apartments of the princess， and in the strangers'

rooms."[75] The twenty-five noble chapters of women， and the nineteen noble chapters of men， are as many permanent drawing-rooms and gathering places incessantly resorted to by the fine society which a slight ecclesiastical barrier scarcely divides from the great world from which it is recruited. At the chapter of Alix， near Lyons， the canonesses wear hoopskirts into the choir， "dressed as in the world outside，" except that their black silk robes and their mantles are lined with ermine.[76] At the chapter of Ottmarsheim in Alsace， "our week was passed in promenading， in visiting the traces of Roman roads， in laughing a good deal， and even in dancing， for there were many people visiting the abbey， and especially talking over dresses." Near Sarrebuis， the canonesses of Loutre dine with the officers and are anything but prudish.[77] Numbers of convents serve as agreeable and respectable asylums for widowed ladies， for young women whose husbands are in the army， and for young ladies of rank， while the superior， generally some noble damsel， wields， with ease and dexterity， the scepter of this pretty feminine world. But nowhere is the pomp of hospitality or the concourse greater， than in the episcopal palaces. Ihave described the situation of the bishops； with their opulence， possessors of the like feudal rights， heirs and successors to the ancient sovereigns of the territory， and besides all this， men of the world and frequenters of Versailles， why should they not keep a court？